In Another Life
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: In another life, she'd been his. In another life, she'd taken his name, worn his ring. In another life, she'd had his children, she'd lived in Eureka, been Carter's deputy, the Head of GD Security... An accident causes Zane to be thrown into a world where he and Jo never meet, where Eureka was never part of the equation, where Zane had never held Jo's heart, let alone loved her...
1. Chapter 1

******In Another Life**

******Rifiuto:******** Non Mirenra **

******Summary: In another life, she'd been his. In another life, she'd taken his name, worn his ring. In another life, she'd had his children, she'd lived in Eureka, been Carter's deputy, the Head of GD Security... An accident causes Zane to be thrown into a world where he and Jo never meet, where Eureka was never part of the equation, where Zane had never held Jo's heart, let alone loved her... **

******A/N: This story was written and finished long before I wrote anything else. It'll just take time for me to upload. **

_"The _last_ thing I'm going to do is let you go down and try to get control of some God damn psychotic experiment! Our children _need_ their mother, and I won't risk you! I've nearly lost you before, I won't do it again. If I lost you- it'd kill me, Jojo. I can't survive this life without you in it. I _won't_."_

His head hurt, not the throbbing pain of a hangover, nor the dull ache of a headache, but the sporadic bursts of pain that come from a blow to the head right after consciousness returns. Moments passed, before he pushed himself onto his elbows and looked around. This wasn't the forests of Oregon, nor the town square of Eureka. He sat up, and slowly climbed to his feet, holding the back of his head.

"I need to talk to Jojo about our boxing workouts. I'll be lucky if Allison doesn't tell me I need stitches." He stopped, removed his hand from the back of his head. No blood, so that was a good thing. But then his gaze caught sight of something else- there was no wedding ring on his left hand. No gold band, no family heirloom- for Jo had given him her father's ring- nothing that identified him as her husband. He quickly checked his jacket pockets before checking the area around where he stood, in case it fell off. He turned up nothing.

He sat heavily on a nearby bench, head in his hands. "Okay, if it's not here, then I need to retrace my steps. Portland's a big city, I can't have gone far." He muttered; he and Jo had talked about taking the kids and going up to Portland for a weekend. And then he looked up and _actually_ looked around. This didn't look like Portland. In fact, it didn't look like any city in the United States. Slowly, he climbed to his feet and made his way towards the park's exit, holding his head again. But he stopped when he saw the historical marker sitting by a nearby lightpost.

_Stanley Park was built in eighteen-eighty-eight..._

Confusion tugged at him. _Isn't that... in... Vancouver?_ It was then that he realized how dark it was, how the night seemed to surround him. How had he not missed this? _Maybe because of the stars you were seeing, brainiac?_

He shook his head, reaching into his pocket to call Jo when voices stopped him. He froze, before slipping behind a nearby bush. "It's right in front of us!" Zane could hear footsteps as well as voices. "We keep missing it!" Another voice could be heard, in response to the first, followed by someone dialing a phone. "Hey... yeah... no it... yeah, we missed it... uh huh... yeah, have Toby check the calculations tomorrow... yeah, I... I know... I... I'll be home soon, babe... I love you too. See you soon."

"How'd she take it?" The first voice sighed.

"Not well."

"I'm slowing you down, Cross. You need someone out here who can keep up with you." The second replied; he seemed to be gasping for air. "What you need is that pretty young wife out here chasing after these things with you."

"You're doing fine. We're in this together... be out when she gets her strength back up. That rabies bite took her down pretty hard. Hospital for a week."

The other voice chuckled. "I need a drink."

"Single malt? I'm buying."

"The hell you are..." The two voices disappeared, and deeming it safe, Zane slipped out from behind the bushes.

* * *

The door slammed closed, and she dropped her book, climbing out of bed and making her way downstairs towards the living room. The kitchen light flicked on, and she heard the coffee start to brew. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed of her chest as she watched him, taking in the curve of her husband's firm backside, and the tousled mess of his black hair as he leaned against the counter. Slowly, she shuffled towards him, reaching out and running her hand over his back.

"Not a good night?" He glanced over his shoulder at her before turning in her arms and wrapping his around her waist.

"Not really. We missed it again. It keeps disappearing on us. How was your night?" He asked, brushing a hand up her back. She shrugged.

"Took my antibiotics, slept for an hour or... three... been reading... how's Drake doing?" He sighed.

"He says he's slowing me down. Said that... I need my pretty young wife out chasing them with me." She chuckled, giving him a small smile. "But not until you're better." She reached up, brushing her fingers over his cheek. The stubble was rough against her skin, but she loved it.

"I should be fine enough for work tomorrow. Would you stop worrying? Please?" He sighed, and nodded, resting his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry, I just... you scared me. I nearly lost you." She scoffed, but ran her hands over his shoulders and around his neck.

"A rabies bite from a racoon while I'm chasing after an anomaly? Honey, that doesn't even _place_ on the Scale of Strange and Freakish." She said, a smile tugging at her lips. He chuckled, pressing a firm kiss to her forehead before capturning her lips in a deep, passionate kiss. He felt her legs wrap around his waist when he lifted her into his arms, and she tightened her arms around his neck as he became lost in her kiss, all thoughts of anomalies gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**R****if****iuto: Non Miriena **

"Maybe you should stay home again today, until we're sure you're better." She turned to look at him, enjoying the touseled black hair that fell into his eyes and the yawn he tried covering up. She scoffed.

"No, I'm going in today, whether you think I'm better or not." She shifted until she faced him, reaching up to brush her fingers over his cheek. "We're in this together, babe. We both lost her. We deal with this together. We hunt them together." He nodded, pressing a kiss to her fingers before climbing out of bed and heading for the bathroom.

"I'll be in the shower if you want company..." She sat up, watching him disappear into the hall, enjoying the sight of him in only his boxers. A moment passed, before she too climbed out of bed. Silent, she tiptoed out of the bedroom and into the hall towards the bathroom. Once the door closed softly behind her, she slipped out of the amythest lingerie she wore and stepped into the shower, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"I figure, we could start the day off right." He smirked, glancing at her over his shoulder.

* * *

Zane groaned. Sunlight hit his eyes, and he sat up. Minutes passed as he struggled to get his bearings, before remembering that he was at his cousin's place. The details from the night before were fuzzy, though slowly coming back with each passing moment.

He'd managed to stumble into a local bar after making his way out of Stanley Park, and- of all the ironies- had run into his cousin, Niall. More like a stroke of dumb luck, to Zane. Niall had been just as surprised as Zane was, to see him, and after much stammering, Zane finally managed to choke out that he'd come up for a business trip for the company he worked for, and had decided to stay a few extra days, and somehow, the hotel he'd been staying at had lost his luggage and that he'd stupidly lost his key. Niall offered to let him stay at his place, and Zane had reluctantly agreed, silently admitting that running into his cousin had been a happy accident.

They had talked for hours after returning to Niall's apartment about how their lives had gone seperate ways, and what was going on since then. Niall, still owned his oil rig business, and was doing pretty well for himself, with a three bedroom apartment in downtown Vancouver. Zane had casually mentioned his marriage and work, leaving out the fact that he wasn't sure he was still married, since this accident occured. Niall had asked about the kids and the town, and Zane had given him updates, giving him information about the town and those he considered his family.

"Morning Sunshine." He looked up, to see Niall, dressed in worn jeans and a t-shirt, leaning against the bedroom door, coffee in hand. After a moment, he came over, offering the second cup to Zane. "How'd you sleep?" Zane sighed, taking a sip of the drink. "That good?"

"Yeah, that good." He muttered.

"So, what are you planning on doing today? Go back and try to straighten out the mess at your hotel?" Zane nodded, studying his cousin. They could have been twins; only eight years seperated them in age, but other than that, the two were identical. From the bright blue eyes to the thick black hair, to the charming smiles and well-built physic, the Donovan cousins were certainly headturners. Throw Claudia and Joshua- Niall's baby sister and brother- into the mix, and the whole Donovan clan was nothing but good looks. Add Jo and her Lupo genes, and the beauty was endless; Zane's three children were just like their mother- olive-skinned, brown-eyed, black-haired beauties with their father's smile and charm. And right now, all he wanted to do was get back to his family, hold his wife and never let her go.

"Maybe. Or... maybe see the sights. Been in meetings the last few days, haven't really had time to check out what's changed since I was up here last." Niall nodded, slapping his cousin on the back.

"If you need anything, let me know."

* * *

"What do you say to playing hooky sometime?" He snorted, rolling his eyes.

"That's what you'd been doing for the last week, remember?" She stuck her tongue out at him, unlocking the car, when he grabbed the keys from her hand.

"Hey! Give those back!" She rushed him, slamming him up against the car door, even as he dangled the keys over her head. Quickly, he wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her to him. With one last jump, she managed to get ahold of the keys, only to find him refusing to give them up. "Let g-" He ducked his head, capturing her lips in a kiss that soon caused them to forget their struggle for the keys, and turn to each other. The keys dropped to the ground, and he wrapped his other arm around her waist, holding her firmly against him as she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I love our little impromptu kisses." He whispered, stealing a chaste kiss before resting his forehead to hers. She grinned, before kneeling down and snatching the keys. Just as she moved to climb into the drivers's seat, he wrapped an arm around her from behind and stole another kiss, taking the chance when her hand loosened from around the keys to grab them and climb in before her, forcing her to take the passenger side.

"Jackass." She muttered, even as she leaned over to kiss him before they left the house.

* * *

Vancouver didn't look much different now than from the last time he'd been here- when he was a kid of eighteen, working oil rigs for Niall. Although, now that he thought back, that job had nearly cost him his leg. Even now, the details of that day were still sketchy; only becoming clearer after waking up in the hospital. But even so, that accident had led him on his path towards Eureka, and he wouldn't trade that for anything. Because Eureka had his wife and children, waiting for him to come home.

He stood in downtown Vancouver, taking everything in, trying to figure out where he went from there. As he looked up at the stoplight, he caught sight of a white car, idling at the light, and after a moment, the woman sitting in the passenger seat turned, locking eyes with him. He struggled to figure out what he was seeing, even as the car drove past, turning a corner and disappearing out of sight.

He shook his head, certain he'd been seeing things. The woman... the woman had looked familiar... she'd looked an awful lot like...

_"Jo?"_


	3. Chapter 3

**R****if****iuto: Non Miriena **

"You okay, babe?" She turned from the window, meeting his eyes, the man that looked suspiciously like her husband vanishing as they rounded the corner. She took a sip of the coffee they'd stopped and gotten, and nodded.

"Yeah, just... thinking..." They turned into the parking lot of Cross Photonics, in time to see a motorcycle pulling out of their parking space. She rolled the window down. "Pretty good! You know, for a six."

"A six!" She laughed as she got out of the car, moving around and joining her husband as he locked the car.

"Sorry, but... I can only give you seven out of ten." She raised an eyebrow, falling into step with her husband.

"What? You've got to be kidding me, Ev! That was at least a six!" She cried.

"I do one reverse bunny hop, and now, you two expect me to pull it off every morning." Their companion replied. She snorted.

"That's because we now know what to expect. And I'm doing better, thank you, Mac." The other man blushed.

"Sorry, how're you feeling?" She chuckled.

"Better." As they moved to go their seperate ways, her husband stopped, grabbing her hand to stall her, and turned back to the other man. She let him talk for several minutes before pressing a quick kiss to his lips and turning to go with a quick, "Love you!" The two men watched her go, before following.

"She'll meet up with us later on." Her husband replied, letting his eyes wander briefly to her ass before she rounded the corner.

* * *

This... this couldn't be possible. He sighed, and sat back in the chair. The small cafe was cool, sitting just across Stanley Park, where this... odd dream had started. Zane sat with a pad and pen in front of him, a list of things that seemed off scrawled on one side, and things that seemed the same on the other. Before leaving his cousin's flat, he'd called GD, just to make_ sure_ he still had his job; he'd been put through immediately and Henry had taken the call. He'd checked everything for Zane, and reassured the younger man that he did indeed still head Section Five, and that, yes, he did still live in Eureka. Surprisingly, though, Henry said nothing about Jo or the kids, which caused a ball of alarm and fear to build within his stomach.

And then, seeing a woman who looked like Jo in that car at the stoplight, little over an hour ago... it made the ball of fear harden and knot tighter.

Now, he sat scanning his list, looking through everything he'd written down. A moment passed, before he scribbled something under the_ Vancouver, Timeshift_ column. Not that he was completely opposed to this being an alternate reality, but after what he'd gone through with Jo and the rest of the Time Traveling Five- as he had so aptly nicknamed them after discovering their secret- he wasn't going to take any chances. Better to possibly be in an alternate timeshift than be lying unconscious in a ditch somewhere.

_Jo has twin sister._

Yeah, there was no way that was his Jo sitting in that car, giving him a look like she didn't know him, hadn't given birth to his children, had never loved him. There was no way; she had to have a twin sister. That was the only logical explanation; because any other explanation would rip his heart in two.

* * *

She looked up from the files on her phone that she'd been going through, and pushed herself away from the wall as her husband and Mac made their way towards her. "'Bout time you showed up. I've been waiting for at least twenty minutes-"

"I thought you went up to your office-" Mac started, but she waved a hand away.

"I did. Checked my e-mails, read through a few reports, looked over a couple files; said I'd meet you down here and I've kept my word. Said I'd meet you down here in twenty minutes and..." She glanced at her phone. "I was five early." She said, slipping her hand into her husband's. He smirked, rolling his eyes. The phone rang, which he immediately handed over to Mac. The other man nervously answered the phone, confused about everything, glancing at the pair as he pulled her close and pressed his lips against hers, drinking her in.

"Perfect timing." The pair looked up mid-kiss as Angelika Finch, Cross Photonics's CFO- and the woman who kept their dinosaur hunting under the radar, shut off her phone and faced them. The redhead cleared her throat, folding her arms as the pair broke apart. She raised an eyebrow as the husband and wife-CEOs of Cross Photonics broke apart; her leaning into his side, he shutting off his own phone and holding her close. Angelika studied them, shaking her head.

The pair both wore jeans and t-shirts; he had a dark blue hoodie on over a dark green t-shirt with what appeared to be some type of Army jacket on over the hoodie. She looked a little less put together, but given that she'd just gotten over a trip to the hospital and a two week stint on antibiotics, Angelika couldn't blame her. Her jeans were worn, hugging the curves of her hips, and she had a black and white graphic t-shirt on under a black leather jacket. Her long, pin-straight black hair was pulled back in a messy bun, small, wispy strands framing her tiny features. A twinge of heartache tugged at the redhead as she watched him press a kiss to the top her head, and as she looked up at him, smiling before returning the kiss to his lips.

"Evan, Jo."

"Ange." Both replied.

"I've called you five times already."

"Six-" He replied, holding up his phone to show her the recent call. She shook her head. "Not to mention the seven times I called your wife." She raised an eyebrow at the other woman, who shrugged and pulled away from her husband. A moment passed, before Ange turned to Mac.

"Mac's been promoted-" Evan began.

"To Special Projects." Jo cut in, before Ange could even ask. "_Doing_ Special Projects." Ange shook her head.

"The Imogen meeting. Did _either_ of you remember that it's today?" She asked, glancing from one to the other and back. The two shared a look, before he opened his mouth.

"_Don't_, Ev."But he cut in, ignoring his wife.

"Dave Simmons, SVP of Innovations, _Ume_gen Technologies. Wife Katherine, daughter Avolan-" He turned to her, raising an eyebrow. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and palmed her forehead, shaking her head. "I really don't know where they get these names from- hopefully we won't name our children something ridiculous like that-" She looked up at Ange, a blush tinting her cheeks. "Spend their winters in Whistler, their summers in Muskoka, _and_ he has a twenty-six million dollar contract with our name on it. And that... was today, wasn't it?" Ange sighed.

"I should have known that you two would be together- and that you wouldn't be ready. So I pushed the meeting to next week." She glanced at the ravenhead, who had pulled away from her husband and lounged against the wall. A moment passed, before she pushed herself away from said wall and wrapped an arm around her husband's waist, slipping a hand into his pants pocket.

"And that is why I..." He glanced at his wife, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Adore you. You understand that inspiration takes time-"

"I need you, and _you_-" She turned on Jo. "to focus those genius minds of yours on your business." The couple shared a look, before she spoke up, squeezing his thigh.

"See, Ange, it's easier when you handle all of that." They started walking again, when her husband spoke up, keeping his arm around his wife's waist.

"... we got a blip- a big one-"

"In the park last night." She added. Mac hurried to catch up.

"This pet project-"

"This is what the money's for." The ravenhead cut in, peering around her husband to stare at the redhead.

"Yes, and if you two keep going like this, you're not gonna have any left because you won't have a company." Ange slipped her arm around his, meeting their eyes.

"We're really close-"

"Evan, Jo... we _need_ this contract-" She turned a worried look at first him and then her.

"You can handle it, Ange, we trust you. Besides, without you-"

"Our company-" He gestured a bomb blowing up, and his wife chuckled, watching as Ange pulled away and turned a corner and out of sight,

"Would never have gotten off the ground in the first place!"

She listened to her husband and Ange argue as they moved down the hallway, and once Ange was out of sight, Jo slipped her arm through Evan's, sliding her hand down the covered muscle of his arm to tangle their fingers.

* * *

He took the pen from between his teeth and continued working on his list. So far, there was more on the _Timeshift_ line than the _Eureka, Unconscious_ line. After a minute, he scribbled down,

_Two timelines/universes bleeding together._

It was a long-shot, but one he couldn't rule out. At least, not until he confronted the woman who looked like his wife.


	4. Chapter 4

**R****if****iuto: Non Miriena **

"How do we know that we're actually going to find anything?" She asked, glancing at her husband's ass as he finished hooking up Toby's device to a tree.

"We don't." He replied. "But we have to give it a shot." She nodded, an appreciative eyebrow raising as her eyes wandered up and down his back, always returning to his firm backside. "Are you going to stand there and ogle my ass or are you going to help me finish this?" She looked up, meeting his eyes, before kneeling down and grabbing a handful of dirt to cover the device with.

"Sorry, I was... just admiring how nice your ass looks in those jeans." He grinned at her seductive purr, replying,

"I'm sure your ass looks pretty good, too." They shared a quick kiss before leaving the tree and heading back through Stanley Park to join Mac and Toby.

"Ev, what's that?" She asked, stopping as they moved away from the tree. She pulled away, going over and kneeling down. Her fingers brushed over what appeared to be a mesh bag used by athletes. He followed, kneeling next to her.

"It... it looks like..." But he didn't get to finish; the sound of cracking branches caused them both to turn, and she slowly climbed to her feet, pulling the handgun she kept in her hip holster and cocking the hammer as her husband held his hands up.

"Don't shoot, Ranger, okay. We're not bears." He said, as a blonde-haired woman took a step towards them, a canister in hand. She was small, slender, about his wife's size, but not nearly as pretty as the woman at his side. The woman glanced between them, her eyes landing on the gun the woman held.

"What're you two doing?" She asked, putting the cap back on her canister as he lowered his hand. The couple shared a glance before she slowly put the gun back in her holster.

"Ah-"

"Collecting golf balls." She cut in, glancing at her husband. He grinned softly at her, taking her hand and squeezing. As the woman got closer, the woman's eyes snapped to the badge on her shoulder. "PCA." She muttered, glancing at her husband.

"Predator Control Association?" He asked, eyes lighting. "You know Tony Drake?" The woman started, surprised. "He's old friends with my wife and I." He amended, pulling his wife into his side.

"Small forest. Dylan Weir."

"Of course." He replied, nodding. The woman raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He glanced at his wife.

"He's talked about you-"

"Fondly." His wife added.

"Evan Cross. This is my wife, Jo." The three quickly shook hands, and she couldn't help noticing how beautiful the two looked together.

"He's... never talked about you. Either of you." She replied, glancing from one to the other.

"He has his priorities right, then." Jo cut in, curling back into his side.

* * *

The park was quiet at this time of day. The one thing Zane remembered from his time in Vancouver, was that he loved to walk Stanley Park and become lost in his own thoughts. Not long after recovering from his accident, he'd walked through Stanley Park and reevaluated his entire life, and that decision eventually led him to leave Canada and return to his home in Boston, before moving on to New York and his life of petty crime. And then he'd been caught and shuffled off to Eureka, and his life had changed for the better. He'd fallen in love with Jo- specifically after the timeline shift- and had since made a life with her, a family. A family that he desperately needed to get back to.

He stopped, pulling the pen out of his pocket and turning his attention to his list. Quickly, he crossed _Drug-Induced Dellusio_n off the _Eureka_ side, because he didn't smoke nor did he drink- except on special occasions. After a moment, he also crossed _Amnesia_ off the list before continuing on his walk. If this was some sort of weird experiment gone wrong, or device blown up, then heads were going to roll and GD would be short several scientists when he got back. He continued on, only to stop at the sound of voices as he neared the bike tunnel.

* * *

She grabbed the sensor out of her husband's bag while he was preoccupied with the phone and took off running, Evan racing to catch up, with Dylan Weir right behind him. One look at the phone the other woman held, and she knew that they'd found exactly what they'd been looking for. She kept her gaze focused on the device in her hand, the erratic needle keeping her gaze. "Jo! Wait!"

"Mrs. Cross! Wh... Mr. Cross, wait! Don't!"

Both ignored the woman as they raced off; she managed to get a lead on the other two, stopping in the bike tunnel. "A magnetic spike." She stood in awe of the thing before her, watching the thing as it shifted and glowed before her. Slowly, she took a step towards it, watching the changes on the device.

* * *

"Evan, over here!" It sounded like Jo-

Zane took off running, following the voice toward the bike tunnel. He skidded to a stop mere feet from the woman; footsteps sounded behind him, but he paid them no mind. "What the hell is that?" She shook her head, unaware that she wasn't talking to her husband.

"There's no heat coming off it; not that I can decipher, anyway. But... there's... ambien surface temp, magnetic signature's steady..."

"Is it dangerous?" Zane heard himself asking, and finally, the woman turned, removing the thirty-five mm camera from around her neck.

"Evan, you should-" She stopped, confusion filling her gaze as she stared at Zane. "I... do... do I know you..."

Zane took a deep breath, stepping closer to her. "Jojo-" He reached out to take her hand, but she stepped back, as another voice called her name.

"Jo! What are you-" Zane turned, to find himself staring into a mirror, even while the woman ahead of him kept snapping photographs. A roar caused them all to turn, and quickly, the mirror shoved a blonde out of the way. "Jo!" Thinking only on instinct, Zane grabbed her around the waist, throwing them through whatever they stood in front of. _"Jo!"_

* * *

They hit the packed dirt, him shielding her as the creature stepped over them and ran off. He pulled away, staring into her dark eyes before she shoved him off of her and they climbed to their feet. Zane looked around. _Where the fuck are we?_

They were in what appeared to be a prehistoric forest, or park, or something. But his attention was suddenly drawn back to the creature, as it roared and stormed for them. "Oh my God..."

"We finally found one..." She whispered in awe. She didn't seem to realize that the thing she was in awe of, was charging towards them, most likely intent on having them both for breakfast.

"We have to go, Jo, now!" He cried, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her back through the light. As soon as they set foot- or back, rather- on hard cement, the thing vanished. When both looked up, Zane's mirror and the blonde were helping them to their feet.

* * *

"Oh thank God!" Before she could say anything, she was on her feet and in Evan's arms. "Thank God you're okay!" She pulled away.

"I... I'm fine, Ev, I promise." She whispered, giving him a small smile and brushing a tear off his cheek. They turned as the other man climbed to his feet, groaning softly in agitation at the pain in his head. When he looked up, he found himself staring at... himself and Jo. A look of relief passed over his face and he gave her a small smile.

"Jo. I... I finally found you." He went to her, reaching out to take her hand, and she stared at him, confused. "I... I don't know what you're doing in Vancouver, but... it's taken me the last several hours to finally locate you and now that I have, we... we can go home. The kids are probably driving Carter and Allison crazy."

She turned to look at the man who had her in his arms, before, "I... I'm sorry, but... I don't know any... Carter. And I... I'm in Vancouver because I live here."

"Wh... what are you talking about? You don't live here. You live in Eureka, with me and our... our family, remember?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Eureka... right; Eureka, Oregon. The... haven for the world's greatest thinkers,' isn't that what the scientific community calls it?" He nodded. She pursed her lips, nodding. "Look, I don't know who you are, but you obviously have me confused with someone else-"

"And who would that be exactly, Jo?" Zane asked, moving closer to her.

"Why don't you back off, buddy?" The image replied, stepping forward, when she laid a hand on his chest to placate him.

"Ev, stop." She turned back to Zane. "Look, Mr.-"

"Donovan. Zane Donovan. You're husband, remember?"

"Right. Well, I hate to disappoint you, Zane, but I don't know you. Although, I should thank you for... saving my life. Especially since we haven't... properly met." She murmured, stepping forward and holding out her hand. "I'm Jo. Jo Cross."


	5. Chapter 5

**R****if****iuto: Non Miriena **

Zane felt his heart plummet into the earth below him. He _had_ to have heard wrong. She... she hadn't really said...

"What the hell was that?" The blonde asked, breaking through Zane's shock. Jo shook her head.

"I... I don't know, but... but we went through it." She gestured between Zane and herself, and then picked up the camera. Then, she pushed past Zane, leading the way back to the parking lot. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Zane asked, finally catching his breath. The others turned to stare at him.

"_We_ are heading back to headquarters. _You_ can stay here if you want, but if you want to survive, I suggest you come with us. Ev and I can give you a ride." She said, her authoritarian showing through. For a moment, Zane was looking at his wife. "You coming or not?"

* * *

"So, who is this guy?" Toby asked, glancing over her shoulder at Zane as he sat on the sofa upstairs, trying to take everything in. Jo sighed and shook her head.

"He said... that I was his wife. He... called me Jojo." She said, looking at Toby. The young woman scoffed in surprise.

"What? He used Evan's pet name for you?" She nodded. "Did he say where he was from?"

"Eureka, Oregon." Jo replied, going to the coffeemaker and pouring a cup. As she headed up the stairs to the second floor, Toby behind her, she said, "Just hearing the _name_ of that town leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

"Why?" She stopped, turning back to Zane. He held his cup, staring up at her with confused blue eyes.

"Sorry?" He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Why does 'Eureka' leave a bad taste in your mouth?" She thought a moment, crossing her arms over her chest. Zane found himself drinking in the little details- the graphic t-shirt, the messy bun- things Jo would never wear or do unless they were at home or at the cabin for a weekend. He set his cup on the table, waiting. She shrugged.

"Why wouldn't it? Eureka is... a horrible, corrupt place." He shook his head, eyes closed momentarily.

"No it's not."

"Yes it is." He shook his head harder.

"No, it's not. And you would never say that. You know why? Because you live you. You've lived there ever since you were honorably discharged from the Army at nineteen." She scoffed, eyebrows raised.

"Me? Live in _Eureka_? Right!" She turned to go, following Toby down the stairs.

"It's true." She stopped on the stairs. "You live in Eureka. You're GD's Head of Security. I'm the Director of Section Five. We have... three beautiful children." She turned around, going back up the steps and making her way towards him. "Erica, Jamie and Salli. You don't... hunt dinosaurs or whatever you do here. You save the world on a daily basis-"

"From psychotic scientists and out of control experiments, right?" She asked. He nodded. "Because Eureka always needs someone to blame, but itself. So it blames the scientists or the GD employees, but never itself. And there's always someone there to take the fall." A moment passed, before she turned on her heel and headed back downstairs. Zane watched her go, too stunned to say anything.

* * *

"Thirty-five mil, really?" Mac asked, as Toby snatched a thing of negatives out of his hand.

"Digital tech's unpredictable around large scale magnetic events." Evan said, as Jo cleared the last stair and wandered over to them.

"'Large scale magnetic events'?" Dylan asked, watching them. "It was a doorway. To somewhere. That you went through." She said, turning to Jo. "With him." Everyone turned to see Zane come down the stairs, cup in hand.

"It's a-"

"Closed curve temporal spacial intersection." Jo supplied, cutting her husband off as she snuck up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He pulled her into his side, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"A... a what?" Zane asked, as everyone turned to Toby's laptop screen.

"You two finally track down a magnetic anomaly, and it spits out _dinosaurs_." Toby cried in excitment. Jo sighed. "That big fella is a Utahraptor. It's so cool-"

"Cool and dangerous, Toby, remember that." Jo said, moving closer to Toby to get a better look at the image she'd snapped. Just as she opened her mouth to say something else, the door opened and Ange walked in.

"I just got the text Jo sent. Catch me up to speed?" She asked, making her way towards them. Evan grinned. But before either he or Jo could say anything about the dinosaur, Ange stopped and turned to Dylan and Zane. "Who are you two? Um... Evan... why is there a guy here who... looks like you?"

* * *

"Are you going to be okay, sweetheart?" Evan nodded. Not long after explaining the whole confusing run in with Zane and Dylan while chasing an anomaly, Jo had called Drake, and the older man had told Dylan everything. On the way to help him capture another Utahrapor, Evan, Dylan, Jo and Mac had listened to Drake's screams over the phone as the man had been murdered by the creature. Now, they stood watching as paramedics brought his body out. "Come here, sweetheart." She wrapped her arms around her husband's neck, holding him close. He buried his face in her hair, taking a deep breath. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. So sorry." Jo pressed a kiss to his neck, holding tight to him.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cross?" The pair broke apart when someone tapped Jo on the shoulder.

"Who are you?" She asked, brushing strands of hair off her cheeks. The man was scruffy, small, slender.

"That doesn't matter-" Only barely listening as he talked, Jo turned back to the scene, watching as Dylan identified Drake. Tears came to her eyes, and she eventually turned back to the matter at hand as her husband choked up.

"- people are dead. My best friend's one of them, okay?" He asked; Jo placed a placating hand on his chest.

"Shh, Evan, shh-"

"-you're going to get more bodies. Not cool."

"Not cool?" He sniffled. "You have to give us more than that."

"Evan, calm-" The man seemed to think for a moment, as if weighing his options.

"The creatures are the loose threats. You two pull the wrong one, history unravels. So you just have to put everything back where it came from." Evan glanced at Jo, and seemed to think for several minutes, putting the pieces together. Her hackels rose, and she stepped closer to her husband, gaging the threat the man posed. "Understand?"

"Understand." Evan whispered, sniffling. "You-"

"You say it like it's_ so_ easy." Jo cut in.

"It's not easy, Mrs. Cross. Not even a little bit." He glanced over their shoulders; Mac was making his way towards the trio, and suddenly, he turned, walking off with a soft, 'Good luck.'

"It's not enough!" Evan cried, arms open. Jo inserted herself in his arms, taking his face in her hands.

"It's have to be, sweetheart. For now, it will have to be. We'll figure it out. I promise." She whispered, kissing him softly.

* * *

"I don't like this. I don't like it at all."

"I know, Jojo. But we have to-" He stopped, hearing Toby's voice over the radio, followed by a child's. "Trevor?"

"Can you get my dad?" Jo stopped, looking up at him and Dylan.

"It's a little boy." She choked out, tears gathering in her eyes. Dylan watched Evan squeeze his wife's hand, before following her. Jo took the radio from him, taking a deep breath before speaking, "Sure we can, bud, but first, where are you?"

"I'm lost."

"Not for long, pal." Evan replied, as the three rushed through the woods. "Look around, tell me what you see." Several seconds passed, before they heard,

"The monster." Jo looked up at her husband, before taking off.

"Come on!"

* * *

He chased her through the woods, the sight of her long black hair the only thing that kept him from losing sight of her. Suddenly, she skidded to a stop, and Evan grabbed her arm, as they came face to face with the dinosaur. Before either could say anything, Dylan had fired, tranqing the bird, to no affect- not that they could see. "It could take a few minutes to have an affect." Dylan told them, as they too hit it with darts.

"We don't have time for that." Evan replied, removing his bag and dropping his gun.

"Evan, where are you going?" Jo cried, grabbing his arm as he rushed towards the animal. _"Evan!"_ Jo rushed after him, sliding to a stop behind her husband, gun still in hand. She grabbed his arm, slamming them both to the ground as the bird attempted to peck, and then watched as he climbed to his feet and rushed towards the boy as Mac and Dylan fired on the bird.

"I gotcha, buddy." Evan murmured as he scooped the boy up; Jo climbed to her feet, rushing towards them and pulling them away as the bird attempted half-heartedly to peck at them again. As it began to loose focus, Evan set the boy down, and Jo felt small arms go around her waist, as the boy buried his face in her stomach. She glanced at Evan, running a calming hand through the boy's hair. He nodded to her, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Evan! Jo!" The pair turned, in time to see the other Utahraptor charge on them, and in quick thinking, Evan pulled Jo and Trevor to the side, throwing all three of them to the ground. As they all climbed to their feet, the animal turned back, slowly making its way towards the trio. Trevor clung to Jo, burying his face in her side, and she looked up from the boy to find that her husband had stepped between them and the raptor. He glared at the creatures, willing and ready to put up a fight to protect not only the child, but the woman he loved-

And just as Mac and Dylan closed in, the bird went after the raptor, digging its beak into the raptor's side.

* * *

The door shut softly, and she turned, jumping as her husband joined her. "Sorry, Jojo, didn't mean to scare you." She sighed, reaching out for him. He went to her, wrapping her in his arms. She was cold, shivering actually, and he wrapped his sweater around her, cradling her against his chest. They'd spent a few minutes in the back of the freezer, remembering the day that changed their lives forever. The day that had nearly seperated them for good. She turned back to the stairs; Zane was pacing the floor, lost in his thoughts.

"What do we do with him?" She asked, turning back to him. He sighed, before pulling away and taking her hand. She followed him up the stairs; he stopped when they joined him.

"You have a place to stay tonight?" Evan asked; Jo turned to him, eyes wide in shock.

"Evan!" Zane thought a moment.

"Just my cousin's but-" Evan nodded, understanding.

"Come on, you'll come home with us for the night, until we get everything straightened out." And then the two turned, heading back down the stairs. Zane watched them go, saw how Jo never let go of his hand. "You coming?" A moment passed, before Zane nodded, following them.

"Yeah. I... I'm coming." As he followed them out to the car, he couldn't help feeling that he wasn't in Eureka anymore.


	6. Chapter 6

**R****if****iuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Now the real fun begins...**

"You can stay in the guest room. Bathroom is here, there's extra toiletries, and an extra pair of pajamas; Ev and I will be right down the hall if you need anything. Kitchen is down the stairs, and to your left. There's tea and coffee, and plenty in the fridge, help yourself. Evan and I have to be at work at eight, if you want us to drop you off somewhere, let us know and we will. If you need to make a call, feel free to use the phone; you're also welcome to the TV. Questions?" Jo placed her hands on her small hips, watching Zane. He shook his head slowly, but stopped.

"Just one." She raised an eyebrow. A moment passed, before he stood, going to her and taking her hands. "How can you not remember who I am?" She furrowed her brow, confused.

"Sorry?" She stammered, struggling to think of some sort of response. "I... I don't remember you because I don't _know_ you. I've never met you before." Zane shook his head, releasing her hands to cradle her face.

"That's not true. You know it's not. Jo, we're meant to be together, we always have been. What we went through in not one- but two- timelines, proves that we're meant to be. I... I even gave you my _grandmother's ring_-" He said, lifting her hand, only to find himself looking at a simple gold band, sandwiched between her knuckle and a simple gold band with a simple oval cut diamond in the center.

"Evan gave it to me two years after we met at UBC."

"UBC?"

"University of British Columbia." She clarified. Zane swallowed. She chuckled. "It was... quite funny, how we met, actually. It was... a day I'll never forget." She sighed, leaving the bedroom and going downstairs; Zane followed, listening. He had no idea where Evan was, and he didn't care. He needed time alone with Jo. She led him into the kitchen, pouring two cups of hot coffee and setting one on the counter in front of him. He had to keep her talking.

"My... best friend and I were leaving a coffee shop heading back to campus; we cut through Stanley Park. It was snowing, so we were... bundled up in our coats and scarves, and... as we... entered the dorm and headed upstairs, I slammed into this guy who was rushing down the stairs. Spilled my drink all over my coat, and my sweater, and knocked me flat on my ass- after throwing us both down the stairs. Ended with him on top, at the bottom of the stairs. And then... he kissed me." She gave Zane a small smile.

"I shoved him off me and... he apologized profusely, hauled me to my feet, and kissed me a second time."

"She was asking for it." Zane looked up as his doppelganger- Evan, he had to remind himself, her husband- came into the room. Jo rolled her eyes, shaking her head, but she couldn't shake the smile from her lips. "So I kissed her." He stopped beside her, a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Gave me his jacket and slipped his number into the pocket; found it when I returned to my room that night. Took me out for dinner the next night, started dating, exchanged keys... and... two years later, he brought me back to the stairs where we'd met and... proposed. Gave me his grandmother's ring, and... we've been together ever since." She smiled at him, and he kissed her, drinking her in before slowly pulling away. "So... what about you? A family? Children?"

Zane thought a moment, before nodding. "Yeah... ah... three... Erica, Jamie and Salli."

"How old?" She asked, unaware that she was asking about her own children.

"Erica's eight, Jamie's six and Salli is four."

"Oh, they sound precious." Jo sighed, leaning against the counter, as Evan rubbed her back. Zane nodded.

"They... they are." _Just like you, Jojo._

* * *

"He seems like a nice guy."

"Hmm."

"He looks like you. Did you notice that, Ev? Do you have a twin brother I don't know about?" She asked, glancing at her husband over her shoulder. Evan pulled her closer, wrapping his arms tight around her waist as he buried his face in her hair.

"Not that I'm aware of." He murmured sleepily, before nudging his nose into her thick black locks. A moment passed, before she turned to face him. He pulled away, concerned. "What's wrong, Jojo?" She sighed, settling onto her side to stare at him.

"I... I just..." She reached out, running a hand over his chest, working on the buttons on his pajama top and then slipping her hands over the muscles of his abs. "That little boy today-" He waited, watching her. "I just... I just kept thinking that... that could have been_ our_... little boy..."

"But he wasn't, Jojo."

"But he could have been." She choked out, tears in her eyes, her voice rough. "He could very well have been our boy... and... and the way you... the way you protected him... protected me..." Gently, he reached up and cradled her face in his hands, brushing the tears away.

"I'm so sorry, Jojo."

"Trevor... I wanted to name him Trevor. I just... I love that name. It... it's beautiful. I..." She sat up, folding her legs beneath her. "I don't think it was an accident that that little boy..." She stopped, sniffling.

"So... do you want to keep trying?" He asked, sitting up and taking her hands. She shrugged, playing with her father's wedding ring- the ring Evan wore. A moment passed, before she nodded, tears in her eyes.

"Yeah." She whispered. "I... I want to..." She choked on a sob, leaning into him and burying her face in his chest. He held her, running his fingers through her long dark hair, listening to her soft sobs. He tightened his hold on her, his mind drifting back to the day when they'd been forced to accept reality- in more ways than one.

_"You guys, this is trespassing!" _

_"It's for lease! Besides, aren't you even the least bit curious?" _

_"No! And you shouldn't be either! Not with the baby coming."_

_"The baby won't be here for another six months, besides, he's growing just fine. Just as he should. So would you quit worrying?"_

He closed his eyes, struggled to control his tears as he shook with silent sobs. Jo wrapped her arms tighter around him, her cries breaking his heart.

* * *

Zane sighed, rolling over and turning his attention to the wall. He couldn't sleep; a million questions whizzed around his brain, begging to be answered. He rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. There was no way this could be real. He had to be lying in a ditch somewhere, or in the infirmary, in an induced coma, or at home, sound asleep with Jo wrapped around him, her soft, supple body melded perfectly to his. Yes, that was the only plausible reason his tired brain would accept at this time of night. This was all a dream.

_We're home, and we're in bed. The kids are sound asleep, and we're relaxing after the hectic day we've had. We've made love, and now we're curled in each others' arms, sound asleep. Yes, this is all some... some crazy dream, and when I wake up tomorrow morning, she'll be sound asleep in my arms._

But even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew that this was no dream. He knew that he was in some sort of sick parallell universe that deemed it necessary to take Jo from him.

Finally, he climbed out of bed and pulled out his cell. He dialed his apartment, but the phone didn't ring through, and after several minutes, he tried Jo's place. No answer, not even an answering machine. He tried several more numbers before finally dialing Carter and Allison. Surprisingly, Allison picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Allison? It's Zane... um..." He bit his lip, weighing his options. "I... I was just... wondering... if I could... this is going to sound silly, because I should have just called her at home, but she didn't pick up. Anyway, I was wondering if I could... talk to Jo..." Allison was silent on the other end of the line, and then he heard her call for Carter. Muffled voices spoke in the background, before Allison returned to the call. "What? I... I don't under... What do you mean she's..." But before she could finish, Zane dropped the phone, his heart stopping.

"I'm sorry, Zane, but there's no one named Josefina Lupo _or_ Josefina Donovan living in Eureka, or working at Global Dynamics."


End file.
